Box-Car Children (Version 2)

Four orphaned children on the run. That's the heart of this book. Henry, Jess, Violet, and Benny have just lost their father, and their mother is gone too. Their grandfather is a stranger, and the children have heard terrible things about him. So they do the only thing that makes sense: they run. What follows is a weary journey through the night until they find something extraordinary, an abandoned boxcar deep in the woods. They make it their home. They make it work. And then Henry gets a job at the nearby bakery, which brings them something they never expected: friends who will change everything. This is the book that started a beloved series, and it endures because it understands something essential about children: they are braver and more resourceful than adults give them credit for.